Tie clasp



April 1958 HA. ROBERTSON 2,828,518

' TIE CLASP Filed Oct. 8, 1954 ZJMXW United States Paterit f Of ce TIE CLASP Hugh A. Robertson, Portland, Oreg.

Application October 8, 1954, Serial No. 461,073

1 Claim. (Cl. 24-49) therefrom; to provide a tie clasp having improved retaining means which positively engages a portion of a shirt but does not fold or wrinkle or otherwise appreci ably damage the shirt; to provide a tie clasp which is easily attached and detached, when desired, and to provide a tie clasp which is simple in structure and inexpensive to manufacture.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by a clasp structure having a U-shaped body member which receives portions of a shirt and tie. A clamping plate is hingedly mounted on the body member and has piercing members which pass through apertures in the body member to engage portions of a shirt and tie received in the body member to hold the tie to the shirt. The invention will be better understood and additional objects and advantages will become apparent with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment. Various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a man with the present tie clasp locked on a portion of his shirt and holding his tie against the front of his shirt;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the clasp taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, the shirt and tie material being shown in phantom;

Figure 3 is a plan view with the hinged clamping plate in open position, a portion of the clasp frame being broken away to show the apertures in the frame member for receiving the piercing members; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the clasp, also showing the clamping plate in open position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, it will be seen that the tie clasp is formed from two parts 10 and 11. The part 10 comprises a pair of legs 14 and 15 joined at one end 16 to form a U-shaped body member adapted to receive therein a portion of a mans shirt 17 and tie 18. End portion 16 inclines inwardly toward leg 15 whereby the corner 19 between end 16 and leg 14 protrudes outwardly beyond the corner formed between end 16 and leg 15. The angle at corner 19 is therefore an acute angle of somewhat less than 90".

Leg 14 of the body 10 has a pair of longitudinally spaced apertures 20 and has a hinge portion 21 on its free end for connection to the part 11 of the clasp. Part 11 comprises a clamping plate and is provided with a pair of piercing members comprising needle-shaped r Patented Apr. 1, 1958 prongs 23 located in predetermined spaced relation so as to pass through apertures 20 in leg 14 when the plate 11 is moved on its hinge to a closed position in close proximity with the U-saped body, as shown in Figure 2. The free or outer endof plate 11 is curved inwardly at 24 to form a spring catch 25 and is curved outwardly at 26 to form a finger grip 27 for operating the spring catch. To lock the plate 11 against the body 10, it is rotated to a position in close proximity with the body, and then, with an additional pressure thereon, spring catch 25 will snap over the protruding corner 19 between end 16 and the leg 14. Plate 11 will remain in its locked position until released by outward pressure on the finger grip 27.

Leg 15 of the frame 10 is preferably a fraction of an inch longer than leg 14 so as to protrude slightly beyond the hinge 21. This extended end portion is useful for guiding the frame 10 into engagement with the shirt and tie when the clip is to be put in place. The space between the legs 14 aud 15 forms a holder of a width such that one thickness of a shirt, or its front panel, and two thicknesses of a tie, will readily fit therein for easy. attachment and detachment of the clasp from said shirt and tie. Furthermore, the interior surfaces of the frame 10 for receiving the shirt and tie are fiat and uninterrupted, and devoid of any obstructions, recesses, projections or the like which may be instrumental in folding or creasing the shirt and tie material.-

To mount the clasp on a shirt and tie, the clamping plate 11 is pivoted outwardly on its hinge to the position shown in Figures 3 and 4. The clasp is turned so that the clamping plate 11 faces the wearers body, and then the clasp is moved into engagement with the shirt and tie. When a; desired position is obtained, clamping plate 11 is pivoted to a locked position, as shown in Figure 2. Prongs 23 are preferably of a length sufficient to span the gap between legs 14 and 15, as shown, so that they pierce the thickness of the shirt, the thickness of the narrow underneath end of the tie, which is the center thickness of material in Figure 2, and only partially the thicknes of the wide outermost end of the tie. The prongs are very slender to avoid making holes of noticeable size in the shirt. After the clasp is removed, the holes are too small to be seen and too small to damage the shirt. A

An important advantage of the invention is that the clasp, when locked in position, cannot accidentally become displaced from the shirt. In addition, with the provision of the pair of spaced prongs 23, the clasp cannot pivot, but will remain in its initial set position. Although the wide outermost portion of the tie' is firmly held in a set position by the prongs 23, it is nevertheless not damaged due to only partial penetration thereof b the prongs.

Having now described my invention and in what manner the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A tie clasp for securing a necktie to a shirt front, com-- 'said shirt engaging leg and end portion being less than to form a catch detent, said shirt engaging leg having a pair of longitudinally spaced apertures, a flat-backed clamping plate pivotally mounted on said shirt engaging leg at one end of said strip and adapted to lie flat against the back surface of said shirt engaging leg, a spring catch 0 on said clamping plate vengageable over the corner of said angle detent to lock said clamping plate against said back surface of said shirt engaging leg to bear against the body of the wearer, and a pair of spaced needle- 479938 Fl-edhhp shaped prongs on said clamping plate in positions to pass 5 483605 through said apertures, said prongs being of a predeter- 600387 g 1898 mined length insuflicient to span the gap between .said legs 3 MIX July in order to pierce the shirt and only a portion of the thick- Rogers June ness of a necktie between said legs without piercing the FOREIGN PATENTS front surface of the necktie. 10 120,905 Austria of 1931 4 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

